NYS Music 202​1

Category: Alternative/Indie

  • Dust Bowl Faeries join The Linda’s ‘Open for Take-Out’ Virtual Concert Series

    The Dust Bowl Faeries will be performing at The Linda WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio in their ‘Open for Take-Out’ virtual concert series. Originally scheduled for February 1, 2021 at 8PM EST, the performance will now air on February 22, due to the early-February snowstorm. 

    Dust Bowl Faeries
    Album cover from The Plague Garden.

    The Dust Bowl Faeries are a dark carnival-inspired indie-rock band that draws inspiration from circus, post-punk and Eastern European folk music. They are based in New York and formed back in 2015 and their original line up was an all women trio of but now is a five piece multi-gendered power house. They released their newest album, The Plague Garden on November 20, 2020. The album was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Michael Schoonmaker and was partially written during the pandemic. The band’s current line up is Ryder Cooley (Faerie Queen) on accordion, singing saw, ukulele, and lead vocals, Jon B. Woodin (Rocket Faerie) on guitar, castanets, and vocals, Rubi LaRue (Feisty Faerie) on lap steel and vocals, Liz LoGiudice (River Faerie) on bass and vocals, and Andrew Stein (Time Faerie) on percussion.

    Band leader Ryder Cooley spoke on the inspiration behind the band teaming up with The Linda which is based in Albany, saying that she had actually reached out to The Linda at the very beginning of March 2020 before the world knew the pandemic would crush the live entertainment industry. As time passed she had forgotten that she had reached out to them in the midst of pandemic life until one day in December when they invited the group to play a virtual concert. 

    This will be the first time the Dust Bowl Faeries first live-stream show and will be the first time they have all played together in almost a year.  Ryder Cooley shares that although they are feeling a little bit rusty they will be “pouring our[their] hearts out at this concert since it is our[their] first show all together in such a long time.” 

    There is a lot to look forward to when it comes to the Dust Bowl Faeries performance at The Linda. They will be playing several songs off their new album including “Pandemic Tango” which was written during the pandemic, and will also be performing fan favorites like “Candy Store.” The video of which was shot during the pandemic by Lisa M. Thomas of Thin Edge Films and released it in November 2020 in advance of their album. They will also be performing a brand new song titled “Cuckoo,” which is a polka-jazz song about feeling cooped-up and a little bit ‘cuckoo.’

    Tickets for the performance on February 1 at 8PM EST at The Linda are $10 and can be purchased here and will be streamed live on YouTube. The concert will also air on the ‘Live at the Linda’ radio show but people are encouraged to buy tickets because in the visual ensemble people will get a much fuller experience of the band watching the show rather than just listening. 

    The Dust Bowl Faeries are also in the midst of the Winter Series of their virtual vaudeville show Wish You Were Hear. They have upcoming performances on February 13 with Tommy Stinson of The Replacements and on March 20 with Lorkin O’Reilly.

    For more information visit the Dust Bowl Faeries website, Facebook or Instagram.

  • Singer-Songwriter Mackenzie Shivers Shares “Martha’s Vineyard” from Upcoming Album

    Indie-folk singer Mackenzie Shivers releases her first single “Martha’s Vineyard” for her upcoming 2021 full-length release, Rejection Letters

    Singer, songwriter and pianist, Mackenzie Shivers, premiered her new dreamy video for her song “Martha’s Vineyard.” Her song radiates the intimate, eerie qualities of indie-folk, akin to Phoebe Bridgers. At the end of the song, a spoken-word verse adds mystery and edge to Shivers’ unique sound. The music video features a vignette of Shivers alone on a beach save her acoustic guitar, immersed the world of her music. 

    Mackenzie Shivers

    I’m not sure I ever learned healthy ways to express anger. But I’m learning now. I’m much more comfortable with sadness than I am with anger. I think that’s because female anger is so often met with shame and dismissal. That’s certainly been my experience, and it really started to hit home as I wrote this song.

    Mackenzie Shivers – “Martha’s Vineyard.”

    Shivers’ third full length album was borne out of the strange circumstances which we have all endured in 2020. She sought refuge in Cape Cod from her home in New York City. With an old family guitar gifted by her father, Shivers experimented with alternate tunings, thanks to Instagram live tutorials from folk artist Laura Marling. Since touring was an adventure left in another world, Shivers inadvertently wrote a collection of songs that became Rejection Letter. 

    Her newfound time for introspection led to topics she seldom discussed on past records. Female anger – questioning the contemporary world, trying to have a child and struggling to conceive color. This record is in a poignantly personal way. She hopes that her lyrics help those with grand uncertainties can listen to someone that feels the same. Shivers revels in her rebellion, embracing her fiery nature. 

    “I’m proud that I found a way to make this record during a very scary, chaotic, uncertain time. I wanted to make something that would give my listeners permission to get angry, to commiserate. My goal is always and ultimately to remind people they’re not alone,” says Shivers.

    I feel like this is me at my best and most complex to date. You get to see new sides of me through this music – a darker, moodier, sometimes angrier side. But it’s still whimsical. It still balances that dark with the light. 

    Mackenzie Shivers

    Prior to her upcoming third release, Mackenzie Shivers has released two full-length albums: 2014’s Neverland and 2019’s The Unkindness and three EPs titled Living in My Head (2016), Ravens (2017), and Midwinter (2019). She currently lives in New York City with her husband. 

    For more info visit Mackenzie Shivers’ website.

  • Allyson Smith and Monica Uhm Featured on this week’s EQXposure

    Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from, Allyson Smith, Monica Uhm and many more!

    allyson smith

    WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.

    This week, EQXposure features the music of Allyson Smith, spanning her releases. Featured tracks include “Wane” and “Bound2Be” off her release All Good Things, “Vacancy” off the release Carter Creek Choir, and her latest, “The Waves (demo).”

    Also featured is the new release from Monica Uhm titled “Prelude.” Monica is a singer-songwriter based in New York known for her catchy tunes, intelligent lyrics and quirky live banter. Her lyrical style is self-dubbed “philoso-folk” given the push-pull in her writing of the big questions in life found in small everyday snapshots. Her musical style is self-dubbed “kitchen-sink twist on Americana” from the eclectic range of influences in her musical tastes and working with a wide spectrum of accomplished and creative musicians and artists.  

  • Venus Furs Share Video For Their Song “New Inspiration”

    Montreal band Venus Furs share visual for their song “New Inspiration,” a trippy video that taps into the core of the track. The track premiered on website Under the Radar to high praise from fans and critics alike. “New Inspiration” was directed by Justis Krar of IMMV Productions, who has previously worked with Zoon and Mundy’s Bay.

    venus furs

    Venus Furs is the brainchild of Paul Kasner, a multi-instrumentalist, writer, producer and self-described “perfectionist.” Kasner has gone under the banners of The Horrors and The Twilight Sad as he worked to discover exactly what Venus Furs was meant to be. After years meticulously crafting a standout product, Kasner is on the verge of releasing Venus Furs, a rigorously crafted set of songs that voyage heedlessly through sonic and mental terrain in a way that could only come from one singular vision. This speaks to his remarkable determination to create the album he long envisioned, and has now realized with the dazzling Venus Furs.

     I wanted to present the visuals as a relation to both the lyrical tone and musical tone of the song. Heavily affected visual effects layered onto night time footage created a lushness that I feel when listening to the song.

    Justis Krar, Director

    The record invites you to bare witness to a world of sound that sits at the nexus of psych rock and garage rock, shot through with grand melodic hooks that echo the British alternative scene that he’s always had an affinity for, all produced with a careful attention to detail.

    This album, for all intents and purposes, is just a huge experiment in dealing with minutia,

    Paul Kasner

    This collection of songs came to fruition after a year long process. At first, Kasner just sat with his guitar or piano and organically let the music form a rough outline, he then meticulously layered, carved and contoured them into songs, eventually reaching a harmonious balance between edge and polish. While Venus Furs is filled with furiously-pitched guitars, walls of sound and driving rhythms, the intricate instrumental aspects are not lost; each can be picked out wall of sound, but in unison they enhance each other, creating a polychromatic and passionate whole.

  • Hearing Aide: Inspector 34 ‘Love My Life’

    Everyone knows Boston is a mecca for musicians, but few have heard of the nearby city of Lowell, just to the northwest. The place is a bastion for independent artists. Fans of The Pixies know it as the place where Live From The Fallout Shelter was recorded back in ‘86. Bibliophiles would recognize it as the birthplace of Jack Kerouac. Throughout the years, it’s remained a haven for people who thrive in the fringe. People like the members of Inspector 34. 

    I met them a few years ago when they were passing through New York on tour. Frontman Jimm Warren and his band of merry misfits shook things up at our funky little community space. They gave off a hippy indie folk vibe, but their music was tight. This wasn’t some shtick. These guys could play. 

    inspector 34

    Fast forward to the present day. While everyone has been finding their own ways to cope with current events, the members of Inspector 34 were funneling their creative energy into a full-length album. Lest you think Love My Life is full of romantic ballads, one glance at the cartoon engulfed in flames on the cover would immediately disavow you of that notion. 

    On first listen, the experimental nature of the music can be a little overwhelming. It’s a roller coaster of a journey. There are wild cacophonies that make the more ambient segments seem almost nihilistic in comparison. Think Joy Division meets Weird Al on the Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour. It’s crazy, but somehow it works. 

    On second and third listen, it’s easier to pick out the lyrical themes and musical motifs that weave through this work. The tracks tracks “Love,” “My,” and “Life” present interludes between acts. The repeating mantra “I love my life, everything is wonderful” cleanses the palate and preps the listener for the next course. There is indeed method in the madness. 

    I didn’t expect to find one album that so encapsulates the past year, but Love My Life fits the bill. I’m still peeling back the layers. There’s a lot to unpack here.

    “Everybody” is a stream-of-consciousness commentary on social interaction these days, when everyone’s live-streaming play-by-play narratives of the banalities of their lives:

    “I know all the people in the world each and every single person in the whole entire world and me and them are all hanging out at the same time and you can see what we’re doing we all can see exactly what each other’s doing and sit and wonder what we’re gonna do next what are you doing?”

    Probably the most mainstream song on the album is “The Gray House.” If you like indie punk, this one’s right up your alley. With driving guitar riffs and gang vocals along with super catchy la da da da’s, I’m betting this will be the fan favorite when they get to take these songs on the road. Never mind that it’s a song about existential dread while the world is crumbling all around, and grasping for a reason to hold onto hope. It’s fun to sing along to.

    Another song on this album that really spoke to me was “Thick Bologna.” In a recent interview, the members of Inspector 34 reveal that it is simply a song about running out of cheap bologna from the local chain store. Even Freud said that sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. But I think there is license for the listener to interpret this as a song about longing for any enjoyable thing they are missing. The day my Keurig broke during quarantine, I probably could have written prose in such detail and description as to rival Nabokov’s meditation on a pencil stub in Transparent Things. Inspector 34 turned running out of bologna into a fat-riffed lament. 

    Overall, I find the album a cathartic experience. It’s both a poignant social commentary and an experiment in amalgamations of sound. It’s something you can zone out to in the psychedelic parts, and howl along with in the noisy dissonant parts. It’s dark, but in a satirical way. It’s a road map for getting through these chaotic times. And when all is said and done, and the crisis is over, Lowell is the #1 place I’d like to travel. Seeing Inspector 34 play live in their hometown is the newest addition to my bucket list. 

    You can find Love My Life at select record shops across the country. It’s also available for purchase digitally or on vinyl at Bandcamp. Or stream on Spotify. Follow Inspector 34 for updates and news.

  • X Ambassadors Announce Hyper-Creative New Multi-Part Project (Eg)

    X Ambassadors have announced a collaborative project with emerging artists, creating an eclectic atmosphere for their genreless songs to swim in. The multi-platinum band shared the first single from (Eg), titled “ultraviolet.tragedies” with emerging artist Terrell Hines, a fiery track that captures the band’s multidimensional production. The song and electrifying music video are available now at all digital retailers through KIDinaKORNER/Interscope Records.

    X Ambassadors
    Album Art for X Ambassadors’ Upcoming Release (Eg)

    Several other fresh artists feature on (Eg), such as Jensen McRae and Earl St. Clair. Both highly collaborative and prolific, X Ambassadors crafted a project as a free-flowing, experimental venture. Sam Harris revealed that the impulse to create arose from new discoveries in production and songwriting work with others. “We wanted to give voice to these incredible artists that people may not have heard yet, and really let their imagination be at the forefront of everything,” he says. “They’re all very much artists with their own unique style that’s so specific to them; they truly don’t care about fitting into any sort of mold, or curating their sound to anything other than what they envision.” 

    Harris says that their collaboration endeavors have encouraged the band to dive into their creativity fully, to make what they love and not overthink the process. (Eg) has a natural sensibility of the pure joy and freedom that come with the art of collaboration. On “ultraviolet.tragedies,” X Ambassadors join with artist Terrel Hines. His sound amalgamates eerie soul, alt-pop, hip-hop, post-punk, and southern funk, building a colorful world for his songs to live in. Georgia-born and Los Angeles-based, Hines critiques society, ponders the limitlessness of technology in his songs that captivate the listener with the true magic of inventive music.

    “ultraviolet.tragedies” was borne from a jam session between X Ambassadors and Hines that shines in the music video. More cinematic, including pauses for conversation, this song sings eerily to a futuristic visual. Created with Microsoft Azure Kinect Body Tracking SDK, the artists are captured in 3D in real time so that they can be superimposed into any world of their choice. The technology opens a world for X Ambassadors’ insatiable creativity in their music. 

    Hailing from Ithaca, New York, X Ambassadors is comprised of three hyper-creative men. Lead vocalist Sam Harris and keyboardist Casey Harris are brothers, with drummer Adam Levin whom they met when Sam attended the New School in New York City. Their full-length 2015 debut VHS launched the band on a three-year touring escapade. With radio hits such as “Renegades” and “Unsteady,” their release is now certified platinum. The lyrical content draws from the Harris brothers’ youth. ORION, their sophomore release,followed in 2019. After years of world touring, X Ambassadors have crafted more innovative, bemusing songs for release on (Eg) this year. 

  • Cassandra Jenkins New Single Honors Inauguration Day

    New York City singer Cassandra Jenkins released her new song “Hard Drive” in celebration of Inauguration Day.

    Cassandra Jenkins
    Photo from Cassandra Jenkins website

    “Hard Drive” is the third track and second released single off Jenkins’ upcoming album titled An Overview on Phenomenal Nature. The song is in the style of a spoken word beginning with audio of a security guard pondering about Mrinalini Mukherjee’s display “Phenomenal Nature” at the Met Breuer. It follows with lyrics filled with Jenkins recalling encounters in her life. The song works its way to her repeating “one, two, three”, a guided meditation from her friend. It ends with words from a psychic Peri Lyons stating the year will be good. Jenkins thought that Lyons’s statement was necessary after living through the uncertainty of 2020.

    The single serves as a journey through a month in her life where she was in the middle of doing two tours. Jenkins also released a video to accompany the track, consisting of scenes with her walking and peacefully riding down a road. The instrumentals are supplied by musician Stuart Bogie on the saxophone and engineer Josh Kaufman on the guitar. The song was purposely released on Inauguration Day to symbolize the country collectively moving forward into a new chapter after the past four years.When creating the album, she was reflecting on ways to heal while living under Trump’s administration.

    An Overview on Phenomenal Nature is releasing on Feb. 19 from Ba Da Bing Records. Jenkins worked with Josh Kaufman on the album and finished it within a week. It comes after her last album, Play Till You Win, which came out in 2017. Her previous body of work showcased her talent but the forthcoming work shows her adaptability. It has a theme of being optimistic and being open to change.

  • Melt, NYC Pop-Soul Band Release Dreamy New Single “Hours”

    NYC-based psychedelic pop-soul group Melt released new single, “Hours,” ahead of their hotly anticipated forthcoming EP. The contemplative ballad is the third single released from the band’s debut EP, set to come out next month.

    Available across all streaming platforms, the single captures the band’s sonic and lyrical maturity – a welcome presentation of their impressive studio prowess. A balanced combination of a passionate low end, moody synth leads, inquisitive guitar lines, and a lustful melody create “Hours.”

    melt

    Hours totally captures the energy and intoxication we feel working on something new. We wanted to convey that feeling of meeting someone –– the excitement, but also the haziness and fantasy of it,

    Eric Gabriels, Vocals and Keys

    “Hours” was produced and engineered by Aaron Nevezie at The Bunker Studio, mixed by Michael Brauer, and mastered by Heba Kadry. Melt is known throughout the East Coast for their exhilarating live performances. The track captures Melt’s signature sound, despite the challenges the current pandemic presented to the creative process. 

    melt

    Melt is: Veronica Stewart-Frommer (lead vocals), Eric Gabriel (vocals, keys), Marlo Shankweiler (guitar), Josh Greenzeig (drums), Nick Sare (saxophone), Lucas Saur (bass), and Aaron Alcouloumre (trumpet).

    Something unique about this project is that before we release new music, we normally test it live on tour for months to years. Quarantine forced us to hunker down, write new songs, and create—without any feedback from an audience,

    Veronica Stewart-Frommer, Vocals

    When Melt records a new song, they turn to each other and ask “what the hell is this band?”  The septet’s sound is rooted in soul and psychedelia, infusing ethereal jam-sections into existential pop songs.  Dubbed “one groovy super organism” by NPR, four years after their first-ever release “Sour Candy” went viral in 2017 and reached #5 on Billboard’s US Viral 50 Chart (and #6 in Canada). Melt sells out shows across the Northeast and repeatedly in their hometown of NYC at venues Mercury Lounge and The Knitting Factory. 

  • WOLF Releases New Single “Villain”

    WOLF, an indie-pop artist from Queens, NY (aka Julia Wolf), released her first single of the new year, “Villain,” on January 14. As an up and coming singer-songwriter, WOLF has begun to experience the harsh realities of becoming a musical figure in today’s climate. While being a non-confrontational person, WOLF responded in the only way she knows how: “coming back bigger and fresher.”     

    WOLF

    WOLF began her career buildup at the end of 2019 from her bedroom. She released freestyles and snippets of her music via her social media platforms. WOLF curated lots of attention, turning the heads of new fans and industry professionals. This recognition led to millions of streams and hundreds of thousands of followers on both Spotify and Instagram in less than a year. Additionally, the heavy buzz has even allowed the release of her very own clothing line, Girls in Purgatory.  

    “Villain,” produced by Jackson Foote, is a tribute to the shy kids and to the ones that always over-accommodate. WOLF uses her signature 808s and the addition of a vintage guitar to create a mesmerizing tone. Her voice effortlessly blends with the beats she builds off of which adds a sense of groove to her music. The single holds an empowering message when looking to overcome adversity. One must always stay true to themselves, and if people want to make someone out to be the villain, then so be it.  

    As the world is trying to recover from drawbacks of the Coronavirus, WOLF is an inspiration to look out for. Her music provides an outlet of hope during these times of turmoil, similarly to the optimism of Ok Cowgirl. New motivation to start off the new year!

    “Villain” is available on major platforms

    Apple Music, Spotify and Soundcloud.

  • New Music from Luminous Crush featured on EQXposure

    Each Sunday evening from 7-9pm you’ll find EQXposure on WEQX, featuring two hours of local music from up and coming artists. Tune into WEQX.com this Sunday night to hear new music from Luminous Crush, Allyson Smith and many more!

    Luminous Crush

    WEQX has long been the preeminent independent station in the Capital Region of New York, broadcasting from Southern VT to an ever-expanding listening audience. NYS Music brings you a preview of artists to discover each week, just a taste of the talent waiting to be discovered by fans like you.

    This week EQXPosure puts a spotlight on a variety of local artists from across the 518 and Western New England.

    The latest from Luminous Crush, “Radio Kills Zombies” has a haunting refrain with a smooth underlying groove, with imagery of the Cuba Gooding, Jr. film Radio attached. The Vermont band is fronted by Laura Molinelli and Ben Campbell. With Christian Heins (bass), Brad Waugaman (keyboard) and Paul Carroccio (drums), they form a quintet that focuses on original dreamlike pop and rock vignettes. Their music has been hailed as “fearless and original” by Dan Bolles, music editor at Seven Days.

    https://soundcloud.com/luminous-crush/radio-kills-zombies

    Allyson Smith a singer-songwriter from Albany has recently released “The Waves.” Her songs weave together inner and outer worlds by juxtaposing emotional and spiritual experiences with keen environmental observations. The Collaborative Magazine boasts of Smith having “powerful songwriting, full of goose-bump raising lines and beautifully dark imagery.”

    You’ll also catch brand new songs from Jade Relics’ freshly released collaboration between Elder Orange, Iame, and Rico James “With You,” United Crates/The Vinylcologist, Older Zealous AKA OJ, “Vodka and Polar,” and a new release from the Bathrobe Robots, “Alt-War.”

    EQXposure will start the evening with two songs in a row for an hour from Ferriday, Dryer, Postage, Fine Grain, Laveda, Bear Grass , Victory Soul Orchestra and TIP the Band.